Shula mellowed out in his later years. Even though he had winning teams he didn't get Dan the Man a ring.

Still, I would think that longevity should factor more in Bill Walsh and Vince Lombardi's decisions to be better than Shula. Would they have so great at the ends of their careers if they played as long as Shula? Probably not as all coaches get burned out and lose that fire after a while.

Shula should have been No. 1...........6 SuperBowls, 2 championships, only coach with a perfect season, most career wins, only 3 losing seasons in 36 seasons. Lombardi and Walsh's have more championships, but that's the only edge you can give them. Three of Lombardi's Championships were before the merger. Walsh won 3 with a team filled with pro-bowlers.

The 90's were filled with missed opportunities and his forced retirement in '95. That may have been his only real failure.............he loved coaching and didn't go out on top.

Last edited by shularino on Tue Jun 11, 2013 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Shula should have been No. 1...........6 SuperBowls, 2 championships, only coach with a perfect season, most career wins, only 2 losing seasons in 36 seasons. Lombardi and Walsh's have more championships, but that's the only edge you can give them. Three of Lombardi's Championships were before the merger. Walsh won 3 with a team filled with pro-bowlers.

The 90's were filled with missed opportunities and his forced retirement in '95. That may have been his only real failure.............he loved coaching and didn't go out on top.

20/20 hindsight.......you're 100% right...........Only 2 losing seasons out of 26 years with the Phins. Since he left...........7 losing seasons in 17 years.

I remember having mixed feelings when he was let go............Shula was given an open wallet in the '95 season.......he assembled what was considered a dream team in the pre-season. The Phins started 4-0, but spiraled downward after a huge 4th quarter comeback win by the Colts. The team went on to barely make the playoffs and got beat up by the Bills in the first round.

Jimmy Johnson was the biggest name coach and Huizenga did what a smart businessman does........he went out and got him. Looking back...........it was a bad move.